Should Frank Gore return to the San Francisco 49ers?
By Brian Spaen
Now that the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff is getting into place, the next thing to figure out is who is going to be retained on the roster. There’s a lot of tough choices ahead in who to keep, but running back Frank Gore has to be near, if not at, the top. However, with what feels like a new era beginning in San Francisco, should Gore start something new himself?
49ers fans are almost out of rungs to cling on to. The head coach and both coordinators are gone; now they’re left wondering if any of their favorite players will be back. Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, two of the more popular names on the offense, are likely gone.
Among the questions for the 49ers offense was how two household names like Davis and Crabtree were actually on the field but felt completely nonexistent. Anquan Boldin was the go-to guy; Crabtree averaged just 43.6 yards per game in 16 appearances and Davis had less yards than Brandon Lloyd at the end of the season. There isn’t enough money to go around, and the team sure isn’t going to keep guys that aren’t producing for them any longer.
It will be worth it for the 49ers to get rid of other players to keep Gore. The question isn’t if the team should keep Gore — that’s obvious. A bigger question is if Gore even wants to come back.
With the shakeup on the coaching staff, Gore has to understand that this isn’t going to be the same 49ers squad as old. He may love and want to play with the franchise, but he needs to figure out if the team is going to be right for him. Matt Barrows from The Sacramento Bee breaks down his thoughts in a recent mailbag.
"Frank Gore wants two things: 1.) to win a Super Bowl. 2.) To have another 1,000-yard season, which will get him beyond 12,000 for his career, a barometer for the hall of fame. If he feels he can do that with the 49ers, then it’s a no-brainer. But he may keep his options open in March and determine if another teams gives him a better chance to meet his goals. Are the 49ers going to hand the keys to the kingdom to Carlos Hyde? Are they going to incorporate a zone-blocking or stretch running attack?"
Despite games where Gore was underused when San Francisco was arrogant enough to keep using the spread formation and have Colin Kaepernick continue to pass the ball, he still had his fourth straight season over 1,000 yards. Perhaps the new mentality will be to ride Gore until he can’t go anymore, which is exactly what the running back would want.
However, there could be other places that could use his services. A great example would be the Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck needs some help on the offense that ranked high in passing. Gore could be the guy to balance it out. Evan Massey from Ink on Indy also talks about the leadership angle.
"Adding a player like Gore would not only bring an improved rushing attack, but it would also bring on a veteran leader. Indianapolis is a very young football team on the offensive side of the ball, and they could use a more established leadership figure."
Gore will have to do plenty of homework this season to figure out where he’s going to finish his career. It’s always great to see an athlete start and end with a franchise he obviously loves, but he also needs to figure out the best opportunity for his future.